Fighting
by Softly Spoken Words
Summary: Her first day volunteering at Shikon Hospital, Kagome stumbles upon Inuyasha's battered body in what is supposed to be a closed wing of the hospital. When she's the only one asking questions, it isn't long before the truth comes spilling out. He fights for a living. She fights to keep him alive.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I was hit by a wave of inspiration! Yay! I have a more concrete idea of where I want this story to go (relative to my other two), but as things go along, they are also subject to change. Updates will probably be more frequent with this story, but no promises! I will continue both _Reserved_ and _Buddy System_, rest assured, and if you don't know what I'm talking about, you should check it out ^_^ Disclaiming here that I am not an expert when it comes to Japanese geography or culture, so this will be HIGHLY FICTIONAL setting. Here we go, my first attempt at a drama…

* * *

"On the first floor of the hospital, we have the emergency room. You will never be working there. However, you need to know where things are in the event that we might need someone down there or a stranger is asking you where the emergency room is."

"Okay, emergency room first floor, got it."

"On the second floor we have the children's ward. There is a psychiatric facility for the children as well as a daycare-esque place for children of hospital patients. You might be needed here occasionally to feed or entertain the children. You will be cleaning up after them from time to time as well."

"Children: feed, clean, entertain. Got it."

Blood red eyes narrowed at her. "Must you repeat everything I say in a condensed form?"

"Sorry, Kagura," Kagome said sheepishly. "It helps to remember everything."

The older woman rolled her eyes. "If you have trouble remembering where everything is, there is a map in the volunteer room, located in the east wing of the hospital, ninth floor. The third floor is where our terminally ill patients are. You will be here occasionally bringing them food, tending to them—just basic jobs. You will never be asked to do anything you are not qualified for as a volunteer. The rest of the floors house our patients and you will be required, again, to do rather basic things for them. This job shouldn't be_ too_ hard to follow." She paused a moment as the two of them stepped into the elevator and Kagome was grateful for the momentary break in Kagura's bombardment of information. It was one thing to dump a whole load of information on somebody, but did she have to be so condescending about it? "I'll show you to the volunteer area and leave you to your day's work from there."

"Kagura?"

"Hm?"

"I thought Shikon hospital only had nine floors." Kagome gestured to the buttons on the elevator, each number corresponding to a floor in the building. "At least, that's what I was told at orientation last week. It looks like there used to be a ten right here. It's sort of faded now."

"It's a closed floor of the hospital. The elevator doesn't even go up to there anymore." Kagura said with a strange tone, but maybe she was just being condescending again…

"Oh, well, okay." The elevator dinged, signaling their arrival to the ninth floor. Once inside the east wing, Kagura handed Kagome her work clothes and wrapped up the concise training session.

"Here are the clothes you'll be wearing." Kagura handed Kagome a shirt, pants, and a small apron, each embroidered with the insignia of Shikon Hospital. "We have a laundry room in the east wing of the hospital for all the volunteers to wash your clothes. We don't want you washing your clothes at home and transporting them back and forth from the hospital just in case of germs or illnesses. You'll have two sets guaranteed, and an extra, if any are available, will be accessible to you if necessary. Keep your pager with you at all times because we'll give you new assignments throughout the day. Some days will be slower than others." Kagura stared at Kagome expectantly. "Any questions?"

"Uh… nope, I think I'm good to go!" Kagome said with what she hoped was an encouraging smile.

It only warranted a roll of the eyes from Kagura. "Let's hope so," the demoness muttered as she slowly sauntered away.

* * *

Kagome wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from her forehead and leaned against the wall immediately outside the patient's room, room 324, for a quick break. According to the messages displayed on her pager, she still had three more tasks to do before she was allowed to take her lunch break. _Room 724 needs help going to the bathroom, 716 needs her food to be delivered and her old tray to be removed, and 702 needs a bit of company. _Things were pretty hectic around here, and though she wasn't used to the hustle and bustle of the hospital, she found it exciting and invigorating.

"And to think, one day, I could be an actual doctor in a place like this," she spoke softly to herself, a giddy feeling in her chest at the prospect of being _Dr. Higurashi_. "Well, that's the goal."

She needed to get up to the seventh floor in order to tend to all the patients there. Kagome took a glance at the elevator and saw a family crowding to get inside, pushing an elderly man on a wheelchair in as well. _I'll just have to take the stairs I guess…_

Kagome opened the door to the stairwell and walked with heavy, tired feet up the flights of stairs, her footsteps slightly echoing in her ears. _I should tell Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi to volunteer with me. Maybe that will make the volunteer hours go by a bit faster… On second thought, it might make it slower. They gossip too much; they're such a handful sometimes… Plus I guess I shouldn't try to find a shortcut so early on in this experience. I might come to find it really fun. And maybe I'll make some friends here! I bet some of the rooms will become my regulars anyway and I'll probably get to meet some of the nurses and doctors, too. They can tell me what work in the hospital is like for them and maybe that'll help guide my career choices a little bit more…_

So immersed was Kagome in her own thoughts that she hadn't realized she had surpassed the seventh floor some time ago. She was standing in front of a door, since there were no more flights of stairs to climb, and in faded paint, right in front of her eyes, was the number 10.

Kagura's words resonated in her mind. _"It's a closed floor of the hospital. The elevator doesn't even go up to there anymore."_

"I bet the door doesn't even open anyway. I need to head back before I get in trouble…" But as Kagome turned to walk down towards the seventh floor, she could have sworn she heard a noise from inside. She whipped her head around quickly and eyed the door curiously. What if there was a child who was lost in there? Or someone was being held captive? Terrible things could be occurring on the tenth floor without anyone's knowledge, and Kagome could have just walked away from it, never knowing she had the chance to prevent it. She resolved to check the area quickly, just for her peace of mind, and then finish up with her work on the seventh floor.

She opened the door slowly, almost afraid an alarm would sound or there would be a frightening sight on the other side of the wood. However, as the door made way to reveal a floor akin to all the other floors in the hospital, Kagome let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. And then, the confusion set in. This floor actually looked _nicer_ than all the other floors of the hospital. Wasn't it supposed to be dusty? And unlit? She wondered how long it had been closed down for anyway.

Out of curiosity, she wandered down the hall a bit further. _All the doors are closed, but the lights are on… Maybe it was recently closed? How strange for them to not mention a thing about this during orientation though… And the floors are so squeaky clean. I swear I can smell fresh antiseptic.._

Kagome's steps slowed as she neared a door on her right with the door open just a crack. Room 1003. She felt herself walking towards the door, her feet moving of their own accord. She saw her hand pushing the door open, slowly, quietly, and though she didn't know what to expect, nothing in her wildest dreams had come close to what was on display in front of her.

She saw the body of a boy, not much older than she was, with cuts and bruises decorating his battered body. The majority of these wounds tended to be on his fists and chest. There was a large, bloody gaping hole in his gut, and what looked to be shallow claw marks on his chest. Purple bruises went up and down his arms and along his ribcage, which she noticed was rising and falling slightly in a rhythm. _Thank Kami, at least he's still breathing and alive…_

The wounds were fresh, she noticed. The blood was still a bright red and of a watery consistency. Her stomach churned at the sight.

Why was he here? Had someone left him here to die?

Kagome took in the rest of his features. Her eyes traveled from the claws on the fingertips of his bloodied hands, up the long expanse of his silver hair, to two furry dog ears perched atop a head of unruly bangs. Dark black eyebrows furrowed in concentration—

_Beep beep beep bee- _

Kagome rushed to silence the pager for fear of waking up the mysterious stranger in room 1003.

She looked up to a pair of golden eyes glaring at her. Hard.

_Too late._

* * *

A/N: I would love your feedback, so review review review!

8/27/14: Replaced walkie talkie with pager + Inuyasha's room number is 103 not 1003.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for your feedback :) Enjoy!

* * *

The fire in his eyes was enough to rival hers on a good day. He was nearly beaten half to death and still had that much energy? She wasn't sure she would even be able to regain consciousness with wounds that fresh and here he was glaring at her!

Oh yeah. Here he was, glaring. At. _Her_.

"Um, hi-iii…" Her voice came out in an awkward squeak.

"I already told those other two nurses that I don't want any fucking food, so why the hell are you here?" He roared angrily. "Can I fucking rest without being disturbed every 5 minutes?!"

Kagome seethed angrily at the way he was talking to her, but his current physical state made her bite her tongue. Besides, she knew from experience that if she wanted answers, hostility wouldn't get her anywhere close. "What other nurses?"

He snorted. "Those bitches sent a newbie up to deal with me huh?" His golden eyes scanned the room, and the volume of his voice increased exponentially. "Do you think this is a fucking JOKE?! Mess around with the fucking novelty why don't you? _Fuck_ you all!" He yelled to no one in particular.

_Maybe he's schizophrenic and he's off his meds… That would explain him thinking some sort of conspiracy is going on. But even so, schizophrenic or not, his wounds should be getting treatment in the emergency room, not the abandoned floor…_

Kagome, in an attempt to placate his anger, pretended to take some of the blame. "I-I'm sorry sir, I was given commands regarding some room 1003 and I didn't hear it clearly so I… uh… I assumed that I should come in. It's my fault. Please don't take it out on the other nurses."

He eyed her warily. Did he not believe her? Kagome was afraid he would cause another commotion, and she would be caught on the tenth floor where she should _not_ have been snooping around. _Someone really needs to get him his meds… _"What's your name, wench?"

"Ka- Ki… kyo. Kikyo."

"Kikyo, huh?" He sneered. "You're lucky I'm feeling generous today or you would've been fired by the end of the day. Tell all those fucking nurses you work with to leave me alone when I'm in my room or this hospital won't hear the end of it. I'll see to _that_ personally."

Kagome stared at him stunned and immensely relieved that she didn't disclose her real name and that there were no nametags given to the volunteers. She certainly didn't want to be a face and name that this strange boy committed to memory. If he was capable of surviving through whatever torture he endured, who knew what he could dish out? And if he made true on that promise and brought bad publicity to the hospital, she knew that would be the end of her volunteering there and she had worked so hard to get this position, damn it! Kagome resolved then and there to not return to the tenth floor again, for her own sanity and safety.

"Still here? You know the way out, bitch."

_Breathe… breathe… He's having an episode and his mind is highly disoriented… _"Sorry, sir. I'll leave right now," she spoke in a clipped tone, still mentally willing herself to breathe. Reigning in her anger, Kagome walked out the door and closed it softly behind her. "Why ask for my name if you aren't going to use it, jerk?" She whispered angrily to herself.

She turned to look at the door once more, searching for some sort of evidence that what just happened was real. She hadn't noticed it before, blinded by her curiosity at what was hidden on the tenth floor, but there was a patient list posted on the door just like there was on every other room in the hospital.

Only one name was listed there on the very top line of the page, no last name.

_Inuyasha._

* * *

By the time she got to room 724, another volunteer had already assisted the female patient in there in using the bathroom.

In room 716, the old tray of food from that morning had been removed and the patient had finished her lunch. The empty tray was waiting to be picked up.

For her first day on the job, Kagome wasn't doing so well. She could only thank whichever volunteer that had picked up the slack for her for the patients' good moods in the two aforementioned rooms, rather than being disgruntled at having to wait to have their requests fulfilled. She wondered how long she had been on the tenth floor with Inuyasha if she had to have her jobs delegated to someone else.

After returning the tray of food to the cafeteria, Kagome made her way over to room 702 to see if she was still needed. It's not like she had anything else to do anyway. No further commands were given from the walkie talkie at her waist, and besides, even if the patient had already received some company from another volunteer, it wasn't like more socialization would hurt.

She neared the door, checking for the patient list. Instead, there was a laminated name card pasted on the door: _Myoga Okatu. If he has his own name card, he must be staying here for a while._._._

Kagome knocked on the door first, to make sure Myoga was decent before entering. If she couldn't do her two previous jobs, she at least wanted to be able to do this one. She hated feeling as though she was cheating the hospital by being a bad volunteer.

"Come in," came the voice from within.

Kagome opened the door and saw an old flea demon inside, and though she had never had much contact with flea demons, she was able to tell that he was at least seven times bigger than an average flea demon's size.

"Good afternoon, Myoga. I'm Kagome, a new volunteer. I just came by to see how you were doing," she said with a small smile.

The old flea demon turned his body to face her a little better, and the hospital bed croaked with the movement. "Hello, Kagome. It is very nice to meet you. I'm doing quite alright, though much better now that you're here. It is nice to get a bit of company in this room. Do have a seat, my dear."

The volunteer obliged and took the seat next to his bed. "Thank you very much, Myoga. Can I get you anything? Food, water? A change of sheets?"

He shook his head with a small smile. "I won't be needing anything, thank you. So what brings you to this dreadful hospital?" He chuckled ruefully. "I spend all my days wishing I could escape."

"I volunteered, hoping that I would be able to use this experience to help me decide if I want to pursue a career in the medical field or not," she explained. "I'd always wanted to be a doctor since I was a little girl, but now that the time has come, I can't help but worry I'm holding onto this childhood dream for romantic reasons."

"Ah, human life is so different from youkai life, is it not? You worry about making a decision for one job in your lifetime, and demons change their lifestyles with the demands of the time period, _if_ they are lucky to live that long. I had forgotten how intriguing it was to try to decide how you'd like to live your life when it feels so finite, rather than living century to century and feeling as though life is infinite."

His perspective stunned Kagome into silence. She supposed she had never thought of life that way before, and her lack of perspective was understandable due to her very limited contact with demons. She had never been close to or had conversations with any like the one she was currently having with Myoga. "Ah-.."

"So how has this first day shaped your decision?"

She laughed, a little embarrassed at her inability to respond coherently. "It's been tiring," she admitted. "The volunteer work can be rather tedious at times, if I'm being completely honest, but it's the prospect of one day being a doctor that excites me. I know volunteer work is nothing like the work that doctors do, but this is the closest I could get to being able to see what working in a hospital feels like… So I keep trying to motivate myself with visions of what could be my future."

He smiled warmly at her. "I have no doubt that you will succeed in anything you do, Kagome. You already seem to be a very bright girl."

She blushed, pleased at his compliment. "Why thank you Myoga. That means so much coming from you." She paused, hesitating to ask her next question. "So how does it feel? To live life as though it were infinite?"

He gave her a wry smile. "You'd have to ask somebody who isn't ill and confined to this hospital."

Kagome slapped her forehead. "Oh Kami, I'm so sorry I totally forgot…"

"Oh, dear, I'm just poking fun at you. Please don't worry! It's nice to talk to somebody who doesn't treat me like I'm completely incapable of fending for myself or like I'm a fragile piece of glass." He puffed out his oversized chest and scoffed. "I've lived centuries longer than almost all of the medical staff and they treat me like a newborn."

The volunteer smiled apologetically. "They're just trying to be sensitive to your condition," she explained away. Growing a bit bolder since Myoga expressed his desire to be treated as the robust demon he felt he was, she asked, "how come you're in here anyway, Myoga? Your health doesn't seem to be so bad."

"I'm much bigger than a flea demon should be," he began, and at that statement, she nodded. "About four years ago, I sucked up a large volume of poisonous snake demon blood and was unable to expel it from my body. The poison from the snake demon immobilized me quickly, and so I've been stuck this way since. It's dulled my senses a lot, too, almost to the point of a human's. So in a sense, my life is much like that of an old human male, dulled senses and finite." He gave a small chuckle. "The poison just eats away at my insides slowly with each passing day; however, the hospital helps by providing painkillers and extracting some of the poison that has not been completely immersed in my organs, which also helps to alleviate the pain. I can't move very much, or else the poison spreads even faster.

"It's all a countdown for me now, I'm afraid. My days are numbered. It's funny because my life is stuck in a sort of limbo, where I don't get to work towards some great decision for my future or try to adapt to the changing times. It's just a matter of waiting… but the days are much more bearable when I've got visitors like you and my nephew, who tries to make it up here whenever he can," he gave her an encouraging smile, which he hoped lightened the mood a bit. The subject of his slow and inevitable death seemed to always render people speechless, so he hoped to steer the conversation in a lighter direction in order to spare Kagome the burden of trying to figure out what to say after he dumped that whole load on her.

"I'm sorry that things are this way," Kagome began, "but I'm definitely glad we met each other now. I'll pay you a visit every day I'm here," she promised with clear determination in her voice. "I'll be in this room so much, you'll be absolutely sick of me… and even then I'll still come!" She smiled warmly back at him.

When the telltale beeping of Kagome's pager sounded, Myoga shooed her out of his room and waved to her from the bed he was confined to. "I'll hold you to that, my dear. See you tomorrow, Kagome!"

* * *

"Kagome, do you know why you're in here?"

With her hands behind her back, Kagome fiddled with the strings that tied her apron together. "I might have an _idea_…"

Kagura's eyes narrowed. "For someone so eager to be prepared this morning, you have done a less than stellar job for your first day. You were paged multiple times and still didn't take care of your jobs. No other volunteers should be required to pick up your slack unless you're sick and not here."

"I-I'm sorry, Kagura," Kagome said, eyes downcast. "I was.. taking care of _business_ in the bathroom. I think I got food poisoning from something I ate at lunch and I really was unable to leave the stall for a while. I never expected another volunteer to do my jobs for me, but I was just feeling so poorly that I really was unable to do them myself." Kagome gulped and crossed her fingers behind her back, praying to all the gods she knew that Kagura would buy her story. "It won't happen again."

Kagura regarded the volunteer with a skeptical gaze. "See to it that it doesn't." She swiveled her chair to face the wall behind her. "You're free to leave."

"Yes, ma'am." Kagome turned around and breathed out a breath she didn't know she was holding. _That was a lot easier than I thought…_

"And next time," Kagura started as Kagome turned back around, "if you're sick, you shouldn't stay at the hospital. We don't want anything that _you_ have exacerbating any of the patient's conditions."

"Yes, Kagura, I understand."

"Well head on home, girl. I'll see you tomorrow, and I expect much better from you then."

* * *

Kagura was finishing up her rounds in the volunteer quarters. As always, she was expected to make sure all the uniforms were in place, the laundry was being done, and that the area was clean and nothing amiss. She walked past the volunteer sign in sheet posted near the entrance of the quarters and checked if the paper needed replacing. As she flipped through the pages on the clipboard, an entry caught her eye.

Each volunteer had a row they signed in and intersecting columns in which they would clock in when they arrived first thing in the morning, went off to lunch, returned from lunch, and finally left for the day. There was an extra column for volunteers to fill out with a number if they left early; each number corresponded to a reason in a key located on the top right of the page.

_Kagome Higurashi. Arrived: 7:30 a.m. Departed: 5:00 p.m._

"I knew that brat was lying," Kagura hissed softly to herself. "She didn't even pencil in a fake lunch time." A swift glance to the cubbies provided for the volunteers confirmed Kagura's discovery. Kagome's lunch was sitting inside the box labeled for her. Kagura rolled her eyes and placed the clipboard back in its proper place, walking swiftly out of the room. _If that girl was going to lie, she should have done a much better job with tying up the loose ends._

_Just what the hell are you up to, little girl?_

* * *

8/27/14: Changed walkie talkie to pager.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm trying to update every week-two weeks, if time and creativity permit. Thank you to all my readers, and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

"Inuyasha, will you be ready to compete tonight?"

"Keh, what does it look like, asshole?"

Red eyes snaked up and down his form. "Watch that mouth of yours, boy. You talk quite a bit but do you have anything to back up those empty words? That little stunt of yours nearly cost me ten grand last time… And you know what happens if you lose."

The half-demon's mouth curled up into a snarl, and he lifted up his shirt. "The wounds are fucking healed, okay? It's been a week. Don't worry," Inuyasha said with a sneer. "I'll get you your filthy money, bastard."

"You're lucky I didn't kill you off a long time ago for that damn mouth of yours. Head to the training center for your tests. I _will _be checking your results afterwards and am expecting either consistency or progress."

When the half-demon refused to move from his spot, red eyes narrowed and lips pressed into a tight line. "Need I bring out… _encouragements_ again?"

"I fucking hate you." He spat.

Lips curved into a sinister smile. "Yet you still listen, you lowly dog. Do not disappoint me."

* * *

Kaede looked up from the papers at her desk at the sound of her office door opening. "Kagome, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you in today?"

"Hi, Kaede," Kagome greeted the school counselor with a warm smile. "I'm here to plan my class schedule for winter and spring quarter. Sophomore year is going by so quickly."

"Ah, doesn't time always seem to pass us by?" Kaede went over to her filing cabinet and pulled out Kagome's file. She opened up the folder and grabbed the scheduling sheet inside that was gradually filling up as Kagome took more classes. "So tell me, which classes were you hoping to take for winter?"

"I was thinking about taking Health 101, Anatomy and Physiology 15, English 120, and Math 17C."

"Piling on units a bit, aren't you? That's what," Kaede counted quietly to herself, "18 units? Are you sure you can handle all that?"

"Well to be honest, I'm not so sure," Kagome admitted. "But I've been very productive with my time and better at managing it ever since I started volunteering, so I thought I'd be capable of taking on a heavier workload."

"I'm sure you'll work as diligently as ever, child. You said you were volunteering? Where?"

"I'm volunteering at Shikon Hospital. It's been a week now!"

The smile on Kaede's face faltered. "Shikon? There are so many hospitals to choose from, why that one of all hospitals?"

"Well it's the one closest to my house, and since I'm volunteering on the days I don't have school or am not in class all day, I figured that would be the most convenient thing to do… How come you have that look on your face, Kaede? Is there something bad about Shikon Hospital?"

The counselor's eyes widened a fraction and she coughed as if to regain her composure. "Oh, no, no, I just think it pales a bit in comparison to the other hospitals in our city. It seems as though the service can be rather poor sometimes, no?"

"Well… I can't say I can really answer that because I'm usually running around finishing errands but it seems pretty efficient to me…"

"And-and on top of that, the volunteers from there are never taken seriously! Stating that you have volunteer experience at Shikon Hospital really does _nothing_ for your resume."

"But aren't there are some of the best doctors in the country at Shikon?"

"I mean… All doctors are the same really, aren't they?"

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "It seems like you're trying to deter me from volunteering at Shikon. Is there something you know about it and won't tell me?" _Is it about the tenth floor?_

"I've told you all I know in regards to why you shouldn't volunteer there, Kagome."

Kagome gathered her things and got up out of her chair. "Kaede, you're my guidance counselor, right?"

"Yes, child, I am."

"Then I would hope that you will be the _wonderful_ counselor you have always been by continuing to act in my best interests." Kagome turned around and walked towards the door. "Thanks for your help." _If you don't want to tell me, I can find out for myself. _

The door slammed behind her.

Kaede sighed. "Oh Kagome, but I am…"

* * *

"Hey Kagome!"

"Hi Kagome!"

"Kagome!"

"Hi Eri! Hi Yuka! Hi Ayumi!" Kagome said, now in a much better mood after her meeting with Kaede at the sight of her good friends.

"What are you up to, Kags?" Yuka asked.

"I'm headed over to the hospital," Kagome said. "I'll be pretty busy this quarter volunteering whenever I've got the time. How about you three?"

"We were about to go grab a bite to eat," Ayumi said. "I haven't had a bit of food all day and my stomach has insisted on loudly reminding me during lecture this morning."

Kagome laughed. "Ugh, I hate when my stomach growls when it's all quiet, too! It's so embarrassing."

"Anyway… what are your plans for tonight, Kagome?"

"I'm pretty tired after my shifts at the hospital and I still have a ton of homework to do. Why, what's up, Eri?"

"Well in Econ, I got this flyer from Dachi, who got it from Natsumi, who got it from Shiro, who got it from—"

"Okay, Eri, I think I get the point. This is a pretty exclusive event," Kagome laughed at her friend's rambling. "So what's the flyer for?"

"Well, see, that's the thing. The three of us have been trying all day to figure out what it's describing but it's just so vague we really have no idea…"

"Hmm, let me take a jab at it."

Eri pulled out the yellow flyer from her backpack and handed it to Kagome. "Go ahead and keep it. It'll give you an excuse to go and meet up with us later tonight, Grandma Kagome." Eri winked. "We're going to grab a bite to eat for lunch and do some homework so we don't feel so bad about going out tonight. You have time for lunch before your shift?"

"Oh, no, I really should get going, but thank you. We'll see if this grandma meets you three later. Have a good lunch! Bye Eri, Yuka, Ayumi!"

"Bye Kagome!" They all chorused in unison.

Kagome made her way to the bus so it could bring her to Shikon. Once seated, she glanced down at the yellow paper. '_Come see what everyone is raving about… A little bit of something for everyone… Excitement, thrill, action, passion… There's a match for everyone, and you won't want to miss this.'_

"Huh," Kagome mused to herself. "This sounds sort of perverse actually…" She stifled a giggle with her hand. "Poor Ayumi will probably have a heart attack at the venue."

* * *

Kagome was unable to take even a ten minute break since starting her shift at the hospital. She remembered her first day that Kagura said some days would be slower than others.

This was definitely not one of those days.

Curious as to how much time was left until she could clock out, Kagome glanced quickly at her wristwatch. _Aw crap! I told Myoga yesterday I'd get there at 3:30 and it's already 3:45!_

She hurried to the seventh floor. As she neared Myoga's door, she heard voices from within. _It's probably the nephew that he said was his only other visitor. I should probably just stop by to apologize so he doesn't think I forgot about him. _Kagome swiftly opened up Myoga's door.

"I'm so sorry Myoga, I took a while with the other patients and—"

"Ah, Kagome there you are! I was thinking you weren't going to show up! Meet my nephew—"

"What the fuck?! I thought your name was Kikyo, bitch!"

* * *

A/N: Things are coming together! I have so many ideas for this story, so stay tuned ;) By the way, if any of you haven't seen, I do try to update my profile and let you know where I'm at as far as the updates for each story. So if it's been a while and you're wondering where the heck I am, check my profile! Any theories about the plot or connections? Let me know in a review! :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for the delay on this update! I had the ideas set out for this chapter, but it just took me a while to get around to writing it. By the way, for anyone that isn't already following this story, you all should really check out _One Word at a Time_ by Evervescent. Evervescent is a great author as well as a great reader (thank you for all the love you have shown my stories) so do hop on over to her page and give her story a look! On with the chapter!

Also, a wonderful reader ShayL92 pointed out that hospitals usually don't use walkie talkies and instead use pagers. I went back and fixed that in the previous chapters, so just wanted to point out that little edit. Thank you again ShayL92 for pointing that out to me! If I make any major edits, I will be sure to notify you all. Nowwww... on with the chapter!

* * *

"Just my luck… Well if it isn't Schizoyasha," Kagome muttered under her breath.

"What the hell did you call me wench?!"

Myoga cleared his throat to interrupt the two's nonstop glaring. "I wasn't aware you two knew each other… Perhaps do me the courtesy of a proper introduction between two young adults that I care for?" When neither budged, he raised his voice. "Inuyasha, meet Kagome, the volunteer I told you about. Kagome, this is my nephew, Inuyasha."

The two eyed each other warily.

"Thought your name was_ Kikyo_, bitch."

"It's none of your business what my name is!" Lowering her voice, she muttered, "You should be worrying about _yourself_. You're the one off your meds!"

The furry silver ears atop Inuyasha's head swiveled in her direction and he felt his eyebrow twitch uncontrollably. "What the hell are you talking about you deranged woman?!"

_He-he heard me?!_ "W-well…"

Apparently, Myoga heard too. Curse demons and their heightened senses. "What medication are you talking about Kagome?" He glared at his nephew.

"I-I mean his condition is obvious, isn't it? The first time I ran into Inuyasha, he was yelling at nobody and hinting at some sort of conspiracy! His schizophrenia might put him in danger… I mean, the last time I saw him he was nearly beaten to death!"

"What is Kagome talking about?"

"Keh." The silver-haired boy crossed his arms and turned away with his noise pointed in the air. "Nothing that I couldn't handle."

Myoga heaved a long sigh, one that seemed to age him instantly; all the lines in his face sunk deeper into his skin and the worry evident in his eyes only increased.

"Inuyasha you can't keep doing this to yourself… Demon abilities or not, you still have to take care of your body, not jump headfirst into whatever disaster makes itself available."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and his perpetual scowl darkened as he whirled around to face his uncle. "You know that isn't how it is, old man."

"Do I?" The elderly demon, though sick, retorted fervently. "This situation isn't good for either of us but you could make it better for yourself if you could just get a reign on that temper of yours!"

"I have every right to be fucking angry!"

"Do not let your anger be your downfall."

Kagome coughed, unsure of how to appropriately interrupt their intense conversation. Both men suddenly turned their eyes to her, the sound of her clearing her throat reminding them of her presence in the room. Immediately, their demeanors changed, and the previous animosity in the room began to be replaced by a tension of a more awkward nature.

With both pairs of eyes on her, Kagome's mind blanked, and she said the first thing that came to mind. "So Inuyasha _isn't_ schizophrenic?"

* * *

Kagome plopped down tiredly onto her living room couch. On top of school and the whole confusing fiasco with Inuyasha and Myoga, she hadn't left the hospital until 7 p.m.! The bus got her back home at 7:35 p.m., and by that time, her feet were barely able to pick themselves up off the floor. It was a wonder that she had even made it up to her home, the Higurashi Shrine, which sat atop a flight of never-ending cement stairs.

Whoever designed this shrine must have been a very, very cruel person indeed.

Kagome had only managed to rest her body for five minutes before her stomach growled loudly, serving as a reminder that her last meal was too many hours ago. She snuggled further into the couch, hoping that the comfort of the furniture would allow her a few more moments rest before she had a late dinner. In the end, hunger outweighed exhaustion and she sluggishly rose up off the couch to eat.

She trudged into the kitchen where her mom was sitting at the dining table, sipping on a cup of hot tea and reading the paper.

"Hi, dear! Oh you look so tired, Kagome, are you alright?"

Kagome smiled wearily. "Just a long day, Mama, but it's nothing that a warm bath and a good night's rest can't cure." She grabbed some leftovers from the refrigerator and warmed them up in the microwave. "How was your day, Mama?"

"It was fine, Kagome, though I do have to get running in a bit to pick up Sota from soccer practice and talk to his coach. Apparently Sota has been having some problems with some of his teammates and his coach wanted to clear the air with me." Concern filled her mother's eyes, and Kagome knew that her mother was deeply worried about her younger brother. "I hope this isn't too much to ask, dear. After you eat, do you think you could swing by the market and grab a couple cartons of milk? I would've done it myself but—"

"Don't worry, Mama, I'll get it after I'm finished. I hope everything is alright with Sota."

"Yes, darling, so do I." Her mother tried to offer a reassuring smile as she exited the kitchen and prepared to leave the house.

The beeping of the microwave signaled that Kagome's food was ready to eat, and she happily grabbed it out of the microwave and raced to the living room couch to watch her favorite show and eat to her heart's content.

Kagome was halfway through her meal when the home phone rang and she hurried over to answer it. "Higurashi residence."

"_Kagome, it's Eri! Are you coming with us tonight?"_

"Hi, Eri. I don't think so… I haven't been home long because my shift at the hospital ran a little late, and I'm really exhausted from the day. I'm sorry! Have fun, tell me all about it tomorrow."

"_I'm sorry to hear that… So are Yuka and Ayumi! But we understand. In case you change your mind, the address is 175 Tama Street. It's pretty close to your home. Maybe we'll see you later?"_

Kagome laughed. "I highly doubt it, but thank you anyway. See you tomorrow at school. Bye Eri! Tell Yuka and Ayumi I said bye!"

"_Bye Kagome!" _ Three female voices chorused in unison.

Kagome returned to the couch and picked up her bowl of food. "Now… Back to my show…"

"Oh my god, can Dair* stop happening, _please_ for the love of all that is sacred in the world?!"

* * *

"Gramps!" Kagome yelled loudly, her voice carrying all the way upstairs to the second floor of her home. "I'm going out to get some milk for Mama!"

A faint "okay" was heard and Kagome closed the front door behind her and locked it before swiftly jogging down the nightmarish shrine steps. She found her thoughts drifting towards a certain silver-haired man and the hospital she volunteered at.

_Funny how as Myoga's nephew, Inuyasha doesn't look very much like him, _Kagome mused to herself. _Maybe he's half flea demon and half dog-demon?_ She giggled out loud. _What an odd mix._

As Kagome carried on her train of thought, she realized what was really odd was the conversation she had witnessed between the two aforementioned males earlier that day. What right did Inuyasha have to be angry? What did Myoga understand that she didn't about the circumstances that led her to find Inuyasha in the state that he was in that very first day she volunteered? Did Myoga know something about the tenth floor?

Did she dare ask?

She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. Maybe she was connecting the dots where there were none. Perhaps Inuyasha knew that the tenth floor was abandoned and had sought out refuge after a horrible fight that really had nothing to do with the hospital.

_I'm not crazy. Kagura told me there was no tenth floor, and there was one, identical to the rest of the other floors in the hospital. And Inuyasha's name was on the patient list—like he was meant to be a patient, not some stowaway._

_I'm not crazy._ And with that, she resolved to intensify her investigation into the hospital's secrets. Something was amiss and there was no way she could just ignore it and continue on with her daily life. She was going to get to the bottom of all this... whatever this was.

Kagome soon found herself in front of a convenience store only a couple streets down from the shrine and walked inside to buy the gallons of milk her mom asked for. The sooner she completed the errand, the sooner she could go home and take that nice hot bath she'd been fantasizing about all day long and then plop down in her warm bed and snuggle with her pink comforters and Buyo.

"That'll be 600 yen, Miss."

"Here you go!" Kagome hurriedly handed the money to the cashier and grabbed the two gallons and hurried out the door.

"Miss!" The cashier called out to Kagome, although she was long gone. "You forgot your change!" When Kagome showed no sign of returning, the cashier glanced down at the 1000 yen in his hand and shrugged. "Well I guess this is my lucky day."

Outside, Kagome was already halfway down the street, swinging the milk in her hands with more vigor than she'd had all day. "Bath and Buyo, here I come!"

She stopped at the corner of the sidewalk and waited for her turn to cross the street. Tapping her foot impatiently, she looked at her surroundings. There was a playground to her right, though no children were playing on it at this time of night. She saw two figures, what seemed to be a teenage boy and girl, disappearing into the shadows, and she grimaced. _Can't get a room, so you get a park. Teenagers… ew._ Cars whirred by her, making her hair whip all around her face. She looked up to the street light to see if it was turning red anytime soon.

_Come see what everyone is raving about… _

Funny. She was on Tama Street. She looked at the building to her left, marked with a 167. She wasn't too far from where the event Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi were attending was supposed to be at, and although she hadn't initially planned on going, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to satisfy her curiosity and see what the event was for. She would only stop by for a little.

So instead of crossing the street and going home to a warm bath and Buyo, Kagome turned to her left and walked down the street until she reached the building designated as 175 Tama Street. It looked like an abandoned warehouse, with windows tinted so darkly she couldn't see a thing inside. She was able to open the door, however, and was instantly greeted by a large man in a black suit who towered over her small body. Behind him was another set of doors and two large men standing by each one.

"You here for the event?"

"Um… Yes?"

"Pay the fare, girl." He held out his hand expectantly.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to tell me how much it is. I haven't been to… this before."

His eyebrows rose and a dark smile formed on his lips. "Ah, a newbie, huh? I'll take it easy on ya then. 1500 yen."

"Thanks…" Kagome muttered, unsure if she was willing to spend 1500 yen on something she had no clue about. Curiosity getting the best of her, she pulled out the money from her pocket, surprised to see she had the exact change. _I could've sworn I had more money than this… _"Here." She placed the money in his waiting hand and he stowed it away in a box behind him before turning and telling his associates that she was cleared to go inside. The two men opened the doors for her and she walked past them and into the main part of the warehouse, unsure of what to expect.

_A little bit of something for everyone… _

Crowds. There were individual crowds everywhere, but not one conglomerate, massive crowd. She could hear screams and grunts coming from every single direction; people cheering, jumping for joy, groaning. Kagome felt out of place among the sweaty, excited bodies and with her two gallons of milk in hand, braved the crowd to her left. Slowly, a stage came into view… no, a boxing ring. There was a banner hung behind the ring that stated 'Human v. Human (M).'

A fight?

She saw a young man swing a hard right hook into his opponents face, sending the poor guy flying back into the ropes of the ring. However, there was no coach waiting to tend to the wounded fighter in the corner or a referee stepping in to separate the two fighters.

_Excitement, thrill, action, passion… _

Kagome wasn't one for violence, and with a grimace, she retreated back into the empty spaces that marked the boundaries of the different crowds. Though she didn't think she would ever come to an event like this again, she decided to survey the rest of the warehouse to see what else was captivating everyone's attention.

There were all kinds of people in each of the crowds—college students, some she recognized from a few of her classes, businessmen young and old, teenage girls who wore makeup that made them look several years their senior.

_There's a match for everyone…_

At the next fighting ring, the banner stated 'Human v. Human (F).' Two girls were fighting against each other with an intensity that rivaled the two males she had just seen, viciously punching, clawing, and kicking whatever they could of their opponent.

The rest of the stages were similar and Kagome was beginning to understand the once vague advertisements on Eri's flyer. Each match was targeting a different audience—people who wanted to see specific types of fighters set against one another; two male demons, two female demons, a demon male and a demon female… There were fights going on all around her.

Suddenly, the sound of crackling surrounded Kagome as speakers came to life. A deep voice spoke over the intercom in a dark, seductive voice. Everything about this place was dark and twisted…

"_The moment you've all been waiting for… Make your way over to the main stage if you aren't already there. Ever wondered between the two races, human and demon, which is superior? Admittedly, demons have enhanced abilities and often special abilities compared to humans… but surely, humans have their own redeeming qualities as well." _The voice chuckled lowly.

"_Would a mixture of the two be inferior to the demon race? Superior to the human race? Overwhelmed by demonic instincts and more uncivilized than the basest humans and demons, and therefore inferior to both?"_

_Mixture?_ Kagome thought to herself, finding herself facing the main stage whose perimeter was covered by a long red curtain. She clutched the gallons of milk in her hands tightly. _What on earth does he mean by that?_

"_If you've ever wondered, then this match is perfect for you." _The curtains dropped with a flourish and employees quickly hurried to pick it up and move the fabric away from the ring. _"Behold, 'Hanyou versus Demon'… Who will win in this battle of the races?"_

_Hanyou…? Half-demon…? _Kagome wondered quietly to herself, marveling at the unfamiliar word.

Cheering erupted all around her, and Kagome strained to see who was on stage, but found it impossible due to the heads bobbing in and out of her vision. When the cheering and jumping finally subsided and she had a clear view of the ring, Kagome's breath hitched in her throat. The gallons suddenly felt very heavy in her hands.

Words of a familiar, temperamental dog-eared man rang loudly in her mind. _'Mess around with the fucking novelty why don't you? _Fuck _you all!'_

And then it all made sense.

"Inuyasha…"

_And you won't want to miss this._

* * *

A/N: *Anyone else a _Gossip Girl_ fan in here? …Just me? Okay then… No, really, are any of you readers Gossip Girl fans? Couldn't resist throwing that little bit in there ;)

Btw, if you're a teenager and you took offense to the "teenagers… ew" comment, I don't hate teenagers. We've all been/will be there! It was just meant to be a funny little tidbit because sometimes college students can really be uppity when it comes to teenagers.

Whoo! This turned out a lot longer than I thought it would, and I hope this makes up for the long wait. I integrated the words from the flyer into the last section so hopefully that didn't confuse anybody… I meant this more as a plot development sort of chapter, just so I could finally introduce the fighting aspect of the story. I'm not sure how I felt about the beginning of the chapter… Anyway, let me know your thoughts and review! Each review, no matter how long or short, really means a lot to me so thank you in advance for your time :)


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